1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,940 Remember, don't try this at home. 2 00:00:02,940 --> 00:00:05,740 We've got years of experience that keeps us safe. 3 00:00:05,740 --> 00:00:11,680 On this episode of Mythbusters... 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:16,340 In every generation, a myth comes along that does not thrill us. 5 00:00:16,340 --> 00:00:20,020 Adam and Jamie get wrapped up in their biggest build yet. 6 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:24,980 I don't often say this, but it's looking to be nigh impossible to pull this off. 7 00:00:24,980 --> 00:00:29,980 As they find out that making a flying raft is not all plane sailing... 8 00:00:31,980 --> 00:00:33,480 And speaking of planes... 9 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:36,980 Do cell phones, cog airplanes to crash. 10 00:00:36,980 --> 00:00:41,980 Carri-Torre and Grant tackle a traveler's tale with a familiar ring. 11 00:00:41,980 --> 00:00:42,980 Needles all over the place. 12 00:00:42,980 --> 00:00:45,980 And three, two, one... 13 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:50,980 Who are the Mythbusters? 14 00:00:50,980 --> 00:00:51,980 Adam Soutage. 15 00:00:52,980 --> 00:00:55,980 And Jamie Heinemann. 16 00:00:55,980 --> 00:00:56,980 This is gonna kill you. 17 00:00:58,980 --> 00:01:01,980 Between them over 30 years special effects experience. 18 00:01:01,980 --> 00:01:03,980 That's what I'm talking about! 19 00:01:03,980 --> 00:01:05,980 Joining them, Tori Balechi. 20 00:01:05,980 --> 00:01:07,980 Very excited about this. 21 00:01:07,980 --> 00:01:08,980 Cari Byron. 22 00:01:08,980 --> 00:01:10,980 Look, he cracked into his skull. 23 00:01:10,980 --> 00:01:11,980 And Grant Imahara. 24 00:01:11,980 --> 00:01:13,980 Don't say anything. 25 00:01:13,980 --> 00:01:15,980 They don't just tell the Myths. 26 00:01:17,980 --> 00:01:19,980 They put them to the test. 27 00:01:22,980 --> 00:01:28,980 Take one large deserted aircraft hangar. 28 00:01:28,980 --> 00:01:31,980 Add a ridiculous amount of plastic. 29 00:01:31,980 --> 00:01:35,980 And one Mythbuster, trust up like a Christmas turkey. 30 00:01:35,980 --> 00:01:40,980 This wins as the strangest position I've ever been in on the show. 31 00:01:40,980 --> 00:01:43,980 Don't you love how he qualifies it with on this show? 32 00:01:43,980 --> 00:01:47,980 Either the Mythbusters are branching out into performance art, 33 00:01:47,980 --> 00:01:49,980 or something's gone very wrong. 34 00:01:52,980 --> 00:01:55,980 Adam, what myth do we have this time? 35 00:01:55,980 --> 00:01:57,980 Well, this one is pretty darn simple. 36 00:01:57,980 --> 00:01:59,980 It comes right off the Mythbuster fan site. 37 00:01:59,980 --> 00:02:02,980 And it is simply that if you fill a raft with helium, 38 00:02:02,980 --> 00:02:04,980 that you could actually fly on that raft. 39 00:02:04,980 --> 00:02:06,980 Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it right there. 40 00:02:06,980 --> 00:02:08,980 What did you say? 41 00:02:08,980 --> 00:02:10,980 That if you fill a raft with helium, 42 00:02:10,980 --> 00:02:12,980 that you could actually fly on that raft. 43 00:02:12,980 --> 00:02:14,980 Hmm, that's what I thought you said. 44 00:02:14,980 --> 00:02:15,980 Hmm. 45 00:02:15,980 --> 00:02:18,980 Well, on the face of it, I'm not so sure about this one, 46 00:02:18,980 --> 00:02:20,980 but there's only one way to find out. 47 00:02:20,980 --> 00:02:22,980 So what is the plan? 48 00:02:22,980 --> 00:02:24,980 Well, I figure we should start small. 49 00:02:24,980 --> 00:02:26,980 We've got a little inflatable dinghy. 50 00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:28,980 Maybe we can fill that up with helium and see what happens. 51 00:02:28,980 --> 00:02:32,980 As we know, helium holds a special place in a Mythbuster's heart. 52 00:02:32,980 --> 00:02:34,980 It helped Adam hover. 53 00:02:34,980 --> 00:02:38,980 Uh, I'd rather just stay under 100 feet. Thank you, over. 54 00:02:38,980 --> 00:02:40,980 And it came wrapped in pigskin 55 00:02:40,980 --> 00:02:43,980 when the guys took a punt on a helium football. 56 00:02:45,980 --> 00:02:49,980 But now they'll use helium to try and make one of their inflatables fly. 57 00:02:49,980 --> 00:02:52,980 And if that doesn't work, this being Mythbusters, 58 00:02:52,980 --> 00:02:56,980 they'll build their own helium-filled flying machine. 59 00:02:58,980 --> 00:02:59,980 Deflation. 60 00:03:00,980 --> 00:03:05,980 And the initial inflatable they're going to try is the Mythbuster's dinghy. 61 00:03:05,980 --> 00:03:10,980 Before any helium hovering happens, the deflated dinghy is first wave. 62 00:03:10,980 --> 00:03:12,980 Take it on up. 63 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:17,980 Okay, exactly 72. That's what the scale looks like to me. 64 00:03:17,980 --> 00:03:19,980 Then it's filled with air. 65 00:03:19,980 --> 00:03:21,980 Set vacuums to blow. 66 00:03:21,980 --> 00:03:22,980 I love it. 67 00:03:22,980 --> 00:03:26,980 Isn't it great how Adam finds delight in the tiniest thing? 68 00:03:27,980 --> 00:03:28,980 Look at that! 69 00:03:28,980 --> 00:03:30,980 Yeah! 70 00:03:30,980 --> 00:03:33,980 Jamie, however, is a much tougher audience. 71 00:03:36,980 --> 00:03:37,980 This is good. 72 00:03:38,980 --> 00:03:42,980 Next, they work out the volume of the inflated dinghy. 73 00:03:42,980 --> 00:03:43,980 20.5. 74 00:03:43,980 --> 00:03:47,980 Okay, so 20.5 cubic feet. 75 00:03:48,980 --> 00:03:50,980 Then they let the air out. 76 00:03:50,980 --> 00:03:51,980 Alright, here's your helium. 77 00:03:51,980 --> 00:03:52,980 And put the helium in. 78 00:03:52,980 --> 00:03:55,980 Okay, listen, just on the off chance, the very, very off chance, 79 00:03:55,980 --> 00:03:59,980 this thing becomes lighter than air, I'm going to sit in it while we fill it, okay? 80 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:02,980 With the dinghy fit to burst with helium, 81 00:04:02,980 --> 00:04:06,980 will it turn miraculously into a magic carpet? 82 00:04:06,980 --> 00:04:10,980 I'm going to jump out, but hold onto the line in case it floats. 83 00:04:11,980 --> 00:04:13,980 Alright, here we go. 84 00:04:14,980 --> 00:04:16,980 Oh, it didn't float. 85 00:04:16,980 --> 00:04:17,980 What do you think? 86 00:04:18,980 --> 00:04:21,980 Thanks to the helium, the raft has lost some weight. 87 00:04:21,980 --> 00:04:25,980 I call that about maybe four pounds of buoyancy. 88 00:04:25,980 --> 00:04:28,980 But nowhere near enough to achieve lift off. 89 00:04:28,980 --> 00:04:34,980 Well, our inflatable life raft, it's not remotely enough volume of helium 90 00:04:34,980 --> 00:04:39,980 and it's way too heavy to get even buoyant by itself, let alone lift Jamie or I. 91 00:04:41,980 --> 00:04:45,980 Well, that didn't work very well. 92 00:04:45,980 --> 00:04:49,980 The helium only removed four pounds from its total weight. 93 00:04:49,980 --> 00:04:54,980 Yeah, no, it's obvious that if this is going to work, it has to be a raft that is much, much larger. 94 00:04:54,980 --> 00:04:58,980 It needs the volume of helium and it has to lift one of us. 95 00:04:58,980 --> 00:05:03,980 So they drag out an airline life raft to go through the whole process again. 96 00:05:03,980 --> 00:05:05,980 82 pounds, okay. 97 00:05:05,980 --> 00:05:10,980 This yellow peril is eight times the size of the original dinghy 98 00:05:10,980 --> 00:05:14,980 and filling it with helium reduces its weight by almost a quarter. 99 00:05:15,980 --> 00:05:16,980 It's 60 pounds. 100 00:05:16,980 --> 00:05:19,980 But there's still no closer to lift off. 101 00:05:19,980 --> 00:05:24,980 While the guys ponder their next move, one question needs answering pronto 102 00:05:24,980 --> 00:05:28,980 and that is, what's so special about this helium stuff anyway? 103 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:35,980 Well, helium is the second lightest element weighing just 0.17 grams per liter. 104 00:05:35,980 --> 00:05:42,980 By contrast, nitrogen, which makes up about 80% of the air we breathe, is 10 times heavier. 105 00:05:42,980 --> 00:05:47,980 But just how much helium do you need to get your average mythbuster airborne? 106 00:05:47,980 --> 00:05:48,980 You know, I'm disappointed. 107 00:05:48,980 --> 00:05:50,980 I had higher hopes for that life raft. 108 00:05:50,980 --> 00:05:57,980 It's 25 feet in diameter and it couldn't even lift itself filled with helium, let alone one of us. 109 00:05:57,980 --> 00:06:03,980 Well, we've got one more larger thing yet to try and that's an escape slide from a commercial airliner. 110 00:06:03,980 --> 00:06:04,980 That's perfect. 111 00:06:04,980 --> 00:06:11,980 When we last saw the escape slide, it was drifting like a leaf towards Earth with Buster on board. 112 00:06:11,980 --> 00:06:12,980 Oh, look at sailing. 113 00:06:12,980 --> 00:06:13,980 Wow. 114 00:06:13,980 --> 00:06:14,980 So far. 115 00:06:15,980 --> 00:06:18,980 It was the smoothest ride he's ever had. 116 00:06:18,980 --> 00:06:19,980 Wow! 117 00:06:19,980 --> 00:06:21,980 Just me, okay. 118 00:06:21,980 --> 00:06:24,980 What we want now is the reverse journey. 119 00:06:24,980 --> 00:06:29,980 Like in the myth, we want it to rise up and fly away. 120 00:06:29,980 --> 00:06:37,980 The slide's volume measures 325 cubic feet, 15 times bigger than the dinghy. 121 00:06:37,980 --> 00:06:39,980 So, let's deflate it and fill it with... 122 00:06:39,980 --> 00:06:40,980 No, no, no. 123 00:06:40,980 --> 00:06:42,980 Let's run it up to the truck and slide down. 124 00:06:45,980 --> 00:06:46,980 Boys will be boys. 125 00:06:46,980 --> 00:06:48,980 Oh, Jamie, you're so cynical. 126 00:06:48,980 --> 00:06:53,980 Adam just wants to demonstrate correct technique when using an escape slide. 127 00:06:56,980 --> 00:06:59,980 And that definitely ain't it. 128 00:06:59,980 --> 00:07:01,980 That is too much fun. 129 00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:03,980 Right, time for answers. 130 00:07:03,980 --> 00:07:11,980 Will 325 cubic feet of helium be enough to make the slide slip its moorings and ride the thermals? 131 00:07:11,980 --> 00:07:12,980 That's good. 132 00:07:13,980 --> 00:07:20,980 I can't help but noticing that even though it's tethered off, it ain't flying. 133 00:07:23,980 --> 00:07:24,980 That's it. 134 00:07:24,980 --> 00:07:25,980 Is that it? 135 00:07:25,980 --> 00:07:26,980 Yeah. 136 00:07:26,980 --> 00:07:28,980 Well, I'm looking at 121 pounds. 137 00:07:28,980 --> 00:07:34,980 That's just about 40 pounds lighter than the dead weight, which is pretty much exactly what the math said it should be. 138 00:07:34,980 --> 00:07:37,980 I think it might be time to pull the plug. 139 00:07:38,980 --> 00:07:39,980 That's fast. 140 00:07:39,980 --> 00:07:41,980 Oh my God, there's a lot of helium in the air. 141 00:07:42,980 --> 00:07:46,980 You know, I'm starting to think that Smith is busted. 142 00:07:46,980 --> 00:07:48,980 But, you know, we can't leave it at that. 143 00:07:48,980 --> 00:07:51,980 In fact, we're just getting to the fun part right about now. 144 00:07:51,980 --> 00:08:00,980 Yeah, it's time to take the math we've gleaned from the rafts that we've filled with helium so far and calculate exactly the size of raft we need. 145 00:08:00,980 --> 00:08:03,980 That is both seaworthy and that can fly you or me. 146 00:08:03,980 --> 00:08:05,980 Yeah, one of us has to get airborne. 147 00:08:05,980 --> 00:08:09,980 Later, the helium raft starts to blow out of all proportions. 148 00:08:09,980 --> 00:08:12,980 I'm not sure what we're going to do with it when we get inside. 149 00:08:12,980 --> 00:08:16,980 And after the break, what does this button do? 150 00:08:16,980 --> 00:08:18,980 Cockpit building for beginners. 151 00:08:18,980 --> 00:08:20,980 We're getting some turbulence going down. 152 00:08:36,980 --> 00:08:39,980 Alright, Grant. Sounds like we have another cell phone myth. 153 00:08:39,980 --> 00:08:41,980 This one is a conspiracy theory. 154 00:08:41,980 --> 00:08:47,980 The reason you can't use your cell phone on an airplane is not because it'll interfere with the in-flight instruments, 155 00:08:47,980 --> 00:08:51,980 but because it forces you to use the in-flight phone in the back of your seat. 156 00:08:51,980 --> 00:08:55,980 Ah, because it's way more expensive to use their phone than your cell phone. 157 00:08:55,980 --> 00:08:58,980 That's brilliant. Sounds like we get to crash a plane. 158 00:08:58,980 --> 00:09:01,980 No, we're not going to crash a plane. 159 00:09:01,980 --> 00:09:05,980 Once upon a time, just being on an airplane was entertainment enough. 160 00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:12,980 These wide-eyed folk would never have guessed that one day, flying would become so routine, 161 00:09:12,980 --> 00:09:19,980 so downright boring, passengers would need a host of electronic gadgets to help make the time fly. 162 00:09:19,980 --> 00:09:25,980 But in the name of safety, cell phone silence must be maintained at all times. 163 00:09:25,980 --> 00:09:30,980 Is it a ruse designed to force you to fork out for the seat phone? 164 00:09:30,980 --> 00:09:34,980 Can a cell phone signal make your flight drop out of the sky? 165 00:09:36,980 --> 00:09:40,980 It seems to me that the biggest challenge you're going to face with this is not technical. It's legal. 166 00:09:40,980 --> 00:09:46,980 Yeah, actually it's illegal for us to take a working, switched-on cell phone into the air. 167 00:09:46,980 --> 00:09:51,980 However, it's not illegal for us to take a cell phone into a working cockpit and work with it on the ground, 168 00:09:51,980 --> 00:09:55,980 but that doesn't guarantee us any success of interference. 169 00:09:55,980 --> 00:10:02,980 So in typical Mythbusters fashion, we're going to make our own cockpit and control all the variables 170 00:10:02,980 --> 00:10:06,980 and then take that to an airport and see what happens to the signal. 171 00:10:06,980 --> 00:10:12,980 With a flight of fancy out of the question, Tari and Grad are going to build their very own working cockpit, 172 00:10:12,980 --> 00:10:17,980 and there's only one place a Mythbuster goes when he needs playing parts. 173 00:10:18,980 --> 00:10:24,980 Faith Aircraft in Sacramento is an Aladdin's cave of aeronautical offcuts. 174 00:10:24,980 --> 00:10:26,980 And dead planes go. 175 00:10:26,980 --> 00:10:31,980 This aircraft cache also includes a load of pre-loved avionics. 176 00:10:31,980 --> 00:10:36,980 These are exactly what the guys will need to test the cell phone Myth. 177 00:10:36,980 --> 00:10:41,980 Okay, well here's the list, and most of these instruments are communication and navigation, 178 00:10:41,980 --> 00:10:46,980 things that were identified as something that a cell phone might interfere with. 179 00:10:46,980 --> 00:10:51,980 Jairus Stabilized Magnetic Compass System, VHF Communications Transmission, 180 00:10:51,980 --> 00:10:53,980 flight receiver and VOR and local... 181 00:10:53,980 --> 00:10:57,980 Grant's got a flight deck shopping list to rival the Pentagon. 182 00:10:57,980 --> 00:10:58,980 GPS. 183 00:10:58,980 --> 00:11:03,980 But luckily, this second-hand supermarkets got the lot. 184 00:11:04,980 --> 00:11:08,980 These bits and pieces form a plane's ground-to-air communications. 185 00:11:08,980 --> 00:11:12,980 Howard and Kenny, how much is this going to run us? 186 00:11:12,980 --> 00:11:13,980 Over? 187 00:11:13,980 --> 00:11:14,980 Too much. 188 00:11:14,980 --> 00:11:16,980 Houston, we have a problem. 189 00:11:16,980 --> 00:11:18,980 A abort, abort mission. 190 00:11:18,980 --> 00:11:24,980 The high-tech avionics are really all they need to test this telephone tall tail. 191 00:11:24,980 --> 00:11:30,980 But these guys want to go that extra Mythbusters mile and find a cockpit to put them in. 192 00:11:31,980 --> 00:11:36,980 With the cockpit picked up onto the pickup, the Mythbusting can soon begin. 193 00:11:36,980 --> 00:11:40,980 But first, the boys have been digging up a bit of history. 194 00:11:41,980 --> 00:11:50,980 The airlines and the flight attendants make a really big deal of having you turn off your cell phones and your personal electronic devices. 195 00:11:50,980 --> 00:11:54,980 But have you ever heard of a case where one of those items caused a crash? 196 00:11:54,980 --> 00:11:59,980 Actually, in 2000, a plane did go down near Zurich, killing everybody aboard. 197 00:11:59,980 --> 00:12:03,980 And they think it's because one of the passengers received a text message. 198 00:12:03,980 --> 00:12:06,980 And then following that, another passenger made a cell phone call. 199 00:12:06,980 --> 00:12:14,980 And they know this because they recovered the data from the crash and they showed that the instrumentation went wrong at the time of the calls. 200 00:12:14,980 --> 00:12:21,980 To put this to the test, the team has got more instruments than a flying orchestra, but no idea how to make them work. 201 00:12:21,980 --> 00:12:22,980 Morning, I'm Grant. 202 00:12:22,980 --> 00:12:23,980 Nice to meet you, Grant. 203 00:12:23,980 --> 00:12:26,980 Q Aerospace Engineer, Jeff Guto. 204 00:12:27,980 --> 00:12:29,980 We've got a lot of work here. 205 00:12:30,980 --> 00:12:35,980 Yeah, well in typical Mythbusters fashion, we've only got one day. 206 00:12:35,980 --> 00:12:41,980 So at the end of today, we've got to have a working cockpit full of instrumentation. 207 00:12:41,980 --> 00:12:43,980 Okay, well let's start with this. 208 00:12:43,980 --> 00:12:45,980 This is the Navcom radio. 209 00:12:45,980 --> 00:12:51,980 And we're going to go from this to something where everybody's talking to each other. 210 00:12:51,980 --> 00:12:55,980 There's more wires than a NASA command post. 211 00:12:55,980 --> 00:12:59,980 It's a long, complicated, and sometimes fraught afternoon. 212 00:12:59,980 --> 00:13:05,980 But at the end of it, thanks to Jeff, Grant has become somewhat of a cell phone expert. 213 00:13:06,980 --> 00:13:10,980 So, Grant, how are these cell phones supposedly affecting the airplanes? 214 00:13:10,980 --> 00:13:11,980 Well, that's the question. 215 00:13:11,980 --> 00:13:13,980 I mean, there are two possibilities. 216 00:13:13,980 --> 00:13:20,980 First, the cell phone signal may be masking or blocking the radio signal from the airport or the radio beacons. 217 00:13:20,980 --> 00:13:27,980 And second, the cell phone may be actually affecting the navigational equipment itself directly. 218 00:13:27,980 --> 00:13:28,980 So which is more likely? 219 00:13:28,980 --> 00:13:35,980 It's hard to say definitively, but I think at this point, what we should assume is that it's masking or blocking the radio signal. 220 00:13:35,980 --> 00:13:38,980 Well, okay. I mean, that sounds like a good place to start. 221 00:13:39,980 --> 00:13:50,980 But before they can start firing up some cell phone interference, they first need to see if their second-hand setup can even detect the beacon from San Francisco Airport's navigation station. 222 00:13:51,980 --> 00:13:53,980 I don't think we're getting a good signal. 223 00:13:53,980 --> 00:13:56,980 Okay, so what do you suggest? 224 00:13:56,980 --> 00:13:58,980 Let's see if we can raise the antenna up. 225 00:13:58,980 --> 00:13:59,980 Okay. 226 00:13:59,980 --> 00:14:06,980 This extra altitude should allow their avionics to register the bleep from the airport beacon 10 miles away. 227 00:14:09,980 --> 00:14:11,980 I can see my house from here. 228 00:14:11,980 --> 00:14:13,980 Whose car is that in the driveway? 229 00:14:13,980 --> 00:14:14,980 Hey! 230 00:14:15,980 --> 00:14:17,980 We're getting a signal now. 231 00:14:18,980 --> 00:14:24,980 The signal that we're getting is the San Francisco VOR navigation station. 232 00:14:24,980 --> 00:14:28,980 So this tells us how many degrees bearing we are to the station. 233 00:14:28,980 --> 00:14:31,980 It tells the pilot where he is relative to the station. 234 00:14:31,980 --> 00:14:35,980 Thanks to Jeff, the avionics seem to be all systems go. 235 00:14:35,980 --> 00:14:40,980 How this VOR gauge response to cell phones will be crucial. 236 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:45,980 Still to come, Grant and Tory become cell phone high flyers. 237 00:14:45,980 --> 00:14:48,980 Seems like one of these I can start dating supermodels. 238 00:14:48,980 --> 00:14:52,980 But next, Adam and Jamie have one large helium heading. 239 00:14:52,980 --> 00:14:54,980 How do you join them together? 240 00:15:04,980 --> 00:15:11,980 Adam and Jamie are testing the myth that a life raft filled with helium will carry one of them into the clouds. 241 00:15:11,980 --> 00:15:15,980 So far, their inflatables have failed miserably. 242 00:15:15,980 --> 00:15:17,980 It's not going anywhere. 243 00:15:17,980 --> 00:15:18,980 It's not going anywhere. 244 00:15:18,980 --> 00:15:23,980 So now they need to see what it will take to get this myth off the ground. 245 00:15:23,980 --> 00:15:29,980 I can't help but noticing that even though it's tethered off, it ain't flying. 246 00:15:29,980 --> 00:15:33,980 Okay, so I've run the math on the lifting power of helium. 247 00:15:33,980 --> 00:15:38,980 It takes almost 16 cubic feet of helium just to lift one pound. 248 00:15:38,980 --> 00:15:46,980 That means for you or me, 200 pounds plus a raft, let's say it weighs 100 pounds, that's 300 pounds of lift. 249 00:15:46,980 --> 00:15:50,980 We need just under 5,000 cubic feet of helium to do that. 250 00:15:50,980 --> 00:15:52,980 Jamie's considered response? 251 00:15:52,980 --> 00:15:53,980 That's huge. 252 00:15:53,980 --> 00:15:54,980 Yeah. 253 00:15:54,980 --> 00:15:55,980 Yeah. 254 00:15:55,980 --> 00:15:59,980 It's like a third the cabin size of a DC-9 airplane. 255 00:15:59,980 --> 00:16:01,980 Guys, that's nothing. 256 00:16:01,980 --> 00:16:07,980 The famous Hindenburg airship needed 7 million cubic feet of helium to stay aloft. 257 00:16:07,980 --> 00:16:13,980 But for some reason, on its fateful voyage from Germany to New York in May 1937, 258 00:16:13,980 --> 00:16:16,980 it was filled with flammable hydrogen instead. 259 00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:22,980 No one knows for sure what sparked the fire as she came in to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. 260 00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:30,980 But once the hydrogen started to burn, it took just seconds for history's largest airship to go up in smoke. 261 00:16:30,980 --> 00:16:33,980 All the humanity and all the fire is just beating the rocket. 262 00:16:33,980 --> 00:16:37,980 Now Adam and Jamie are going to build their own airship. 263 00:16:37,980 --> 00:16:38,980 I'll tell you what I'm thinking. 264 00:16:38,980 --> 00:16:46,980 You know that clear poly tubing that comes in like 24, 36 inch lengths that they use for porting air conditioning around on a movie set? 265 00:16:46,980 --> 00:16:47,980 Yeah, it's in a roll. 266 00:16:47,980 --> 00:16:51,980 It looks like just normal plastic, but it's actually a tube that you can inflate. 267 00:16:51,980 --> 00:16:52,980 Right. 268 00:16:52,980 --> 00:16:53,980 They make a heat sealer for that. 269 00:16:53,980 --> 00:16:57,980 And given the amount of cubic footage we need and the amount of time we've got, 270 00:16:57,980 --> 00:17:01,980 I think that if we heat sealed long pontoons and assembled them somehow, 271 00:17:01,980 --> 00:17:07,980 it's our best chance of actually getting a raft with this much lift that might actually support us. 272 00:17:07,980 --> 00:17:15,980 People were talking a raft the size of a parade float made from helium filled plastic pontoons 50 feet long. 273 00:17:15,980 --> 00:17:19,980 Actually make that two rows for structural support. 274 00:17:21,980 --> 00:17:25,980 Out in the car park, the boys put the wind up a 50 foot tube. 275 00:17:25,980 --> 00:17:28,980 When I say wind, of course I mean helium. 276 00:17:28,980 --> 00:17:33,980 And the result is possibly the world's largest double entendre. 277 00:17:33,980 --> 00:17:37,980 Okay fellas, enough schoolboy sniggering please. 278 00:17:37,980 --> 00:17:45,980 I'm actually going to hook it up to a fish scale and however many pounds it shows pulling up on the fish scale is effectively the amount of buoyancy I've got. 279 00:17:45,980 --> 00:17:52,980 The inflated tube has a two foot diameter and holds 157 cubic feet of helium. 280 00:17:52,980 --> 00:17:55,980 That adds up to five pounds of buoyancy. 281 00:17:55,980 --> 00:18:04,980 Well, that would mean in order to lift you and you or me, we'd need 40 of these things. 282 00:18:07,980 --> 00:18:10,980 Not including the tape, so probably more like 50. 283 00:18:12,980 --> 00:18:16,980 Which actually gives us, good God this is a big thing. 284 00:18:18,980 --> 00:18:19,980 That's cool though. 285 00:18:19,980 --> 00:18:24,980 So big in fact that Janie's workshop won't be anywhere near large enough. 286 00:18:24,980 --> 00:18:28,980 I'm not sure what we're going to do with it when we get it inside. 287 00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:32,980 It's going to be the biggest build in Mythbusters history. 288 00:18:32,980 --> 00:18:34,980 Yeah, that's helium all right. 289 00:18:34,980 --> 00:18:41,980 I don't know to pull this off, I don't often say this but it's looking to be nigh impossible to pull this off. 290 00:18:42,980 --> 00:18:49,980 It's fraught with problems, there's a ton of variables and just an amount of material that boggles my mind. 291 00:18:50,980 --> 00:18:54,980 You think that's mind boggling? Try getting your head around the assembly. 292 00:18:54,980 --> 00:19:01,980 2,500 feet of fragile plastic tubing has to be rolled out and turned into a two tiered raft. 293 00:19:01,980 --> 00:19:05,980 The smallest leak could prove disastrous. 294 00:19:06,980 --> 00:19:08,980 The double decker raft will be woven. 295 00:19:08,980 --> 00:19:12,980 First the bottom deck, 25 pontoons will be rolled out. 296 00:19:12,980 --> 00:19:15,980 The top layer is then rolled out crosswise. 297 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:21,980 Lines of packing tape at 10 foot intervals will stitch the pontoons together. 298 00:19:21,980 --> 00:19:23,980 Tired to get a cut and a sealant. 299 00:19:23,980 --> 00:19:26,980 Remember take it easy, no mistakes. 300 00:19:28,980 --> 00:19:32,980 There's more plastic here than a convention of Hollywood A-listers. 301 00:19:32,980 --> 00:19:38,980 But can they really turn these PVC pipes into a life raft plastic fantastic? 302 00:19:38,980 --> 00:19:41,980 Well that all depends on the leaks. 303 00:19:42,980 --> 00:19:46,980 The helium's got to get in but they don't want it getting out again. 304 00:19:46,980 --> 00:19:49,980 So each tube will need an airtight valve. 305 00:19:51,980 --> 00:19:54,980 The answer, silicon and zip ties. 306 00:19:56,980 --> 00:19:58,980 There's no water going through there. 307 00:19:58,980 --> 00:20:01,980 You got to get that caulk under pressure. 308 00:20:01,980 --> 00:20:03,980 You're right, you're absolutely right. 309 00:20:03,980 --> 00:20:07,980 So that'll keep the helium from leaking out at least long enough to get this thing working. 310 00:20:07,980 --> 00:20:10,980 Now there's some famous last words for you. 311 00:20:11,980 --> 00:20:13,980 Still to come, will it fly? 312 00:20:13,980 --> 00:20:16,980 Adam and Jamie breathe life into their biggest build. 313 00:20:16,980 --> 00:20:18,980 And we should be flying by lunchtime. 314 00:20:18,980 --> 00:20:20,980 And hold the phone. 315 00:20:20,980 --> 00:20:24,980 As a cell phone just sent Grant's virtual plane into a tailspin. 316 00:20:24,980 --> 00:20:26,980 Is our plane still flying? 317 00:20:27,980 --> 00:20:31,980 Please don't try anything that you're about to see us do at home. 318 00:20:31,980 --> 00:20:32,980 Ever. 319 00:20:56,980 --> 00:21:00,980 Ground to air communication and cause a plane malfunction. 320 00:21:01,980 --> 00:21:04,980 Grant's got a bunch of working cockpit components 321 00:21:04,980 --> 00:21:08,980 so it's time to put this conspiracy theory to the test. 322 00:21:08,980 --> 00:21:13,980 The key to busting this myth lies in the invisible realm of radio frequencies. 323 00:21:13,980 --> 00:21:17,980 And because they're invisible, they make for really bad television. 324 00:21:17,980 --> 00:21:21,980 Unless you happen to have a spectrum analyzing. 325 00:21:21,980 --> 00:21:26,980 Everything electronic to a certain extent emits radio frequency radiation. 326 00:21:26,980 --> 00:21:30,980 Be it a CD player or a personal gaming device or cell phone. 327 00:21:30,980 --> 00:21:37,980 Using this box we can tell what frequencies it's putting out and how much power that is. 328 00:21:37,980 --> 00:21:41,980 And to do that, he'll need a clean experimental space. 329 00:21:41,980 --> 00:21:44,980 A place where stray frequencies can't get in. 330 00:21:44,980 --> 00:21:47,980 And that is a pretty clean spectrum. 331 00:21:47,980 --> 00:21:49,980 I kind of think we should do our tests in here. 332 00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:56,980 For even more RF protection, he builds a Faraday cage to go inside the container. 333 00:21:56,980 --> 00:22:02,980 A Faraday cage is a box made out of brass mesh which blocks radio frequencies. 334 00:22:02,980 --> 00:22:05,980 So it should be ideal for this myth. 335 00:22:07,980 --> 00:22:13,980 Grant will use the spectrum analyzer to see how much RF a cell phone puts out. 336 00:22:13,980 --> 00:22:19,980 He's also going to test a few other devices often found in a plain seat pockets. 337 00:22:19,980 --> 00:22:23,980 A CD player, an MP3 player and a portable game. 338 00:22:23,980 --> 00:22:26,980 They barely register. 339 00:22:26,980 --> 00:22:30,980 But watch what happens when he makes a call. 340 00:22:31,980 --> 00:22:33,980 See that key? 341 00:22:33,980 --> 00:22:36,980 That is the power output of a cell phone. 342 00:22:36,980 --> 00:22:44,980 And that is something that is more likely than anything else to interfere with the aircraft electronics. 343 00:22:44,980 --> 00:22:48,980 Now with a little help from aerospace engineer Jeff Guto, 344 00:22:48,980 --> 00:22:57,980 they'll simulate communication between airport and plane using their spare parts avionics and this device, a ramp tester. 345 00:22:57,980 --> 00:23:02,980 So this one box duplicates all the signals that would be broadcast from the ground. 346 00:23:02,980 --> 00:23:04,980 That's correct. 347 00:23:04,980 --> 00:23:11,980 And they'll try to disrupt that communication by broadcasting RF from a cell phone signal generator. 348 00:23:11,980 --> 00:23:15,980 What's the difference between that and say, turning my phone on? 349 00:23:15,980 --> 00:23:18,980 Well, a huge amount of power. 350 00:23:18,980 --> 00:23:24,980 So what we're going to do is we're not going to use all of this power to simulate the cell phone. 351 00:23:24,980 --> 00:23:27,980 Just the amount that a cell phone would put out. 352 00:23:27,980 --> 00:23:33,980 But if that doesn't work, we have the extra power to say, well, what would it take to affect the instruments? 353 00:23:33,980 --> 00:23:37,980 This machine give us brain tumors 25 times faster. 354 00:23:37,980 --> 00:23:39,980 There's another myth for you to bust. 355 00:23:39,980 --> 00:23:41,980 So let's get this straight. 356 00:23:41,980 --> 00:23:44,980 Inside the Faraday cage will sit the cockpit. 357 00:23:44,980 --> 00:23:51,980 This will be receiving a signal from the ramp tester, simulating the way a plane communicates with the airport. 358 00:23:51,980 --> 00:23:59,980 Grant will blast out RF from the cell phone signal generator to see if any cockpit components go bananas. 359 00:24:00,980 --> 00:24:01,980 That's the theory. 360 00:24:01,980 --> 00:24:05,980 And with Grant boxed in, it's time to put it into practice. 361 00:24:09,980 --> 00:24:15,980 Now remember, this cage tells a pilot where he is in relation to the airport runway. 362 00:24:15,980 --> 00:24:21,980 If that needle wavers, it means our virtual aircraft could be on a crash course. 363 00:24:21,980 --> 00:24:25,980 Grant starts hitting it with simulated cell phone frequencies. 364 00:24:25,980 --> 00:24:28,980 I'll start with GSM to 1800. 365 00:24:28,980 --> 00:24:35,980 GSM is a type of digital cell phone technology used by millions of people around the world. 366 00:24:35,980 --> 00:24:40,980 The flag still says 2 and I have no needle deflection. 367 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:41,980 No response. 368 00:24:41,980 --> 00:24:43,980 Grant ups the power. 369 00:24:43,980 --> 00:24:46,980 Ramping up the amplitude. 370 00:24:46,980 --> 00:24:48,980 Is our plane still flying? 371 00:24:48,980 --> 00:24:50,980 Still flying. 372 00:24:50,980 --> 00:24:54,980 I'm blasting it now at plus 20 dBm. 373 00:24:54,980 --> 00:24:59,980 Grant, if I were you, I'd be reaching for my tinfoil underpads about now. 374 00:24:59,980 --> 00:25:04,980 So this is 100 times stronger than the cell phone could put out. 375 00:25:04,980 --> 00:25:06,980 Okay, we're going up to a thousand times. 376 00:25:06,980 --> 00:25:08,980 We'll try it one more time. 377 00:25:10,980 --> 00:25:18,980 But watch what happens when he starts broadcasting at 800 MHz, another common cell phone frequency. 378 00:25:18,980 --> 00:25:23,980 So I am getting a big deflection here. 379 00:25:23,980 --> 00:25:26,980 I would call that a major deflection. 380 00:25:26,980 --> 00:25:31,980 He tests 850 MHz, then 900 MHz, with the same result. 381 00:25:31,980 --> 00:25:34,980 The needle swings wildly. 382 00:25:34,980 --> 00:25:41,980 As far as the myth goes that these cell phones don't affect the airplane avionics, 383 00:25:41,980 --> 00:25:44,980 I have to say I think that it's leaning towards busted. 384 00:25:44,980 --> 00:25:48,980 I think they can have an effect on that instrumentation. 385 00:25:48,980 --> 00:25:50,980 Hang on, Grant. 386 00:25:50,980 --> 00:25:53,980 We don't want to bust this myth under lab conditions. 387 00:25:53,980 --> 00:25:57,980 We still have to take this cockpit to the airport for a test flight. 388 00:26:01,980 --> 00:26:08,980 Adam and Jamie's myth stated that if you fill a regular inflatable raft with helium, it'll fly. 389 00:26:08,980 --> 00:26:10,980 Oh, it didn't fly. 390 00:26:10,980 --> 00:26:12,980 That was quickly busted. 391 00:26:12,980 --> 00:26:19,980 To get a single mythbuster airborne, it's going to take at least 5,000 cubic feet of helium. 392 00:26:19,980 --> 00:26:21,980 That is one giant raft. 393 00:26:21,980 --> 00:26:25,980 In fact, it's the biggest build in mythbusters history. 394 00:26:25,980 --> 00:26:30,980 And to put it all together, Adam and Jamie need a big space. 395 00:26:30,980 --> 00:26:34,980 Those rolls of plastic that you saw, there are 60 of them. 396 00:26:34,980 --> 00:26:37,980 And they're 60 feet long and 3 feet wide. 397 00:26:37,980 --> 00:26:41,980 We're going to lay them out here on a 60 by 75 foot square. 398 00:26:41,980 --> 00:26:50,980 And as we roll them out, we're going to stitch them together into a raft with tape, with packaging tape. 399 00:26:50,980 --> 00:26:54,980 Carry that look just about says it all. 400 00:26:54,980 --> 00:26:57,980 Every part of this raft is delicate. 401 00:26:57,980 --> 00:27:02,980 So we have to make sure the floor is totally cleared of every last bit of debris 402 00:27:02,980 --> 00:27:07,980 to make sure that there's nothing that can poke a hole in our plastic before we even get the helium in. 403 00:27:07,980 --> 00:27:13,980 With the floor polished to perfection, the rolls of plastic are laid out. 404 00:27:13,980 --> 00:27:16,980 And the first line of tape goes down. 405 00:27:16,980 --> 00:27:19,980 So it begins. 406 00:27:19,980 --> 00:27:22,980 Precision is going to be the key to this test. 407 00:27:22,980 --> 00:27:29,980 If there's any tube that's not correctly aligned or any tie left undone, the whole raft could be ruined. 408 00:27:29,980 --> 00:27:33,980 And the myth will be sunk. 409 00:27:33,980 --> 00:27:36,980 It was nerve-wracking. 410 00:27:36,980 --> 00:27:42,980 25 hundred feet of plastic, hundreds of feet of packing tape. 411 00:27:42,980 --> 00:27:49,980 Several hours and six sore knees later, the layout is finally complete. 412 00:27:49,980 --> 00:27:51,980 It's the end of day one. 413 00:27:51,980 --> 00:27:54,980 The raft, even though it doesn't look like it, is mostly built. 414 00:27:54,980 --> 00:27:56,980 It is now a raft in potentia. 415 00:27:56,980 --> 00:28:01,980 All we got to do tomorrow is come in with the helium, start filling these pontoons, manage them with the net, 416 00:28:01,980 --> 00:28:04,980 and we should be flying by lunchtime. 417 00:28:04,980 --> 00:28:09,980 I always get a kick when I am so optimistic. 418 00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:15,980 Still ahead, will Adam be able to ride high on one big flight of fancy? 419 00:28:15,980 --> 00:28:16,980 Okay. 420 00:28:16,980 --> 00:28:17,980 Whoa! 421 00:28:17,980 --> 00:28:18,980 Whoa! 422 00:28:18,980 --> 00:28:24,980 And after the break, will a cell phone send Grant crashing back to earth? 423 00:28:24,980 --> 00:28:26,980 Going on back there, G-Force. 424 00:28:26,980 --> 00:28:28,980 Needles all over the place. 425 00:28:35,980 --> 00:28:39,980 Can cell phones interfere with aircraft instruments? 426 00:28:39,980 --> 00:28:47,980 During one test, 800 megahertz, a common cell phone bandwidth, Grant's avionics went haywire. 427 00:28:47,980 --> 00:28:50,980 So now the airport beckons. 428 00:28:50,980 --> 00:28:52,980 So we did the experiments in the Faraday cage. 429 00:28:52,980 --> 00:28:55,980 The cell phone affects the avionics. 430 00:28:55,980 --> 00:28:57,980 Do we have to go to the airport? Why? 431 00:28:57,980 --> 00:28:58,980 I am. 432 00:28:58,980 --> 00:29:03,980 Our viewers are not going to be convinced unless we have the most realistic scenario we can, 433 00:29:03,980 --> 00:29:06,980 a moving platform in a real environment. 434 00:29:06,980 --> 00:29:10,980 Plus, while the ramp tester is a really good diagnostic tool for the bench, 435 00:29:10,980 --> 00:29:13,980 there are a few signals that you can only get at the airport. 436 00:29:13,980 --> 00:29:15,980 That's the theory. 437 00:29:15,980 --> 00:29:20,980 Unfortunately, they won't be able to put it into practice on a runway, but they'll get close. 438 00:29:30,980 --> 00:29:31,980 Whoa! 439 00:29:31,980 --> 00:29:33,980 This place is perfect. 440 00:29:33,980 --> 00:29:34,980 Oh, yeah! 441 00:29:34,980 --> 00:29:37,980 We've got planes coming in constantly. 442 00:29:37,980 --> 00:29:40,980 We've got a big, long parking lot we can drive around in. 443 00:29:40,980 --> 00:29:42,980 We're right on the approach pattern. 444 00:29:42,980 --> 00:29:43,980 It's perfect. 445 00:29:43,980 --> 00:29:48,980 As far as flight simulators go, this isn't what you'd call state-of-the-art. 446 00:29:48,980 --> 00:29:51,980 Top gun Grant's in the hot seat. 447 00:29:51,980 --> 00:29:54,980 As the cockpit taxis around the car park, 448 00:29:54,980 --> 00:29:58,980 receiving a real signal from the airport's navigation beacon, 449 00:29:58,980 --> 00:30:02,980 he'll blast the instruments with RF from the cell phone simulator. 450 00:30:02,980 --> 00:30:03,980 Ready! 451 00:30:05,980 --> 00:30:06,980 Chocks away. 452 00:30:06,980 --> 00:30:09,980 We're clear for takeoff. 453 00:30:09,980 --> 00:30:11,980 What's going on back there, G-Force? 454 00:30:11,980 --> 00:30:13,980 Needle's all over the place. 455 00:30:13,980 --> 00:30:15,980 Yeah, it's really hard to center. 456 00:30:15,980 --> 00:30:18,980 As we're moving around, the needle's swinging back and forth, 457 00:30:18,980 --> 00:30:21,980 and the nav flag is popping up. 458 00:30:21,980 --> 00:30:25,980 And that's before the cell phone signals have even started. 459 00:30:25,980 --> 00:30:31,980 We're going to need a pretty stable reading here in order to tell if it's the cell phone doing it, or what. 460 00:30:31,980 --> 00:30:33,980 So what's next, G-Force? 461 00:30:33,980 --> 00:30:38,980 I think we've got to try it again, but stationary this time. 462 00:30:38,980 --> 00:30:39,980 Engine off. 463 00:30:40,980 --> 00:30:42,980 See if I can get the needle centered. 464 00:30:42,980 --> 00:30:47,980 He feels the need, the need, to be very still. 465 00:30:47,980 --> 00:30:50,980 Okay, so the needle is centered and stationary. 466 00:30:50,980 --> 00:30:51,980 Whoa! 467 00:30:51,980 --> 00:30:53,980 I just lost signal. 468 00:30:53,980 --> 00:30:56,980 I lost the nav flag and the needle swung way up. 469 00:30:56,980 --> 00:30:57,980 I don't know. 470 00:30:57,980 --> 00:30:59,980 It looks okay now. 471 00:30:59,980 --> 00:31:01,980 I don't know what to make of that. 472 00:31:01,980 --> 00:31:04,980 He just can't get a stable reading. 473 00:31:04,980 --> 00:31:07,980 Just as well, the Mythbusters always plan ahead. 474 00:31:07,980 --> 00:31:14,980 This sleek bird's been waiting in the wings just in case their homemade plane crashed and burned. 475 00:31:14,980 --> 00:31:17,980 I know you guys wanted to see us in the air testing this, but we can't. 476 00:31:17,980 --> 00:31:18,980 It's illegal. 477 00:31:18,980 --> 00:31:24,980 We tried our best to be able to get a commercial airline, even a charter airline, 478 00:31:24,980 --> 00:31:27,980 even a private plane to get us up in the air with a cell phone. 479 00:31:27,980 --> 00:31:29,980 It's federal law. 480 00:31:29,980 --> 00:31:36,980 They can't run this myth in the air, but under controlled conditions, they can try a test on the tarmac. 481 00:31:38,980 --> 00:31:42,980 As soon as I get one of these, I can start dating supermodels. 482 00:31:42,980 --> 00:31:47,980 Tom Benvenuto is vice president of flight operations at Sunset Aviation. 483 00:31:47,980 --> 00:31:49,980 This one yours? 484 00:31:49,980 --> 00:31:52,980 This is ours. This is the Hawkeard 800 XP. 485 00:31:52,980 --> 00:31:55,980 2003, it's a mid-sized corporate jet. 486 00:31:55,980 --> 00:31:57,980 It sits eight people. 487 00:31:57,980 --> 00:31:59,980 You and seven of your friends. 488 00:31:59,980 --> 00:32:00,980 Supermodels. 489 00:32:00,980 --> 00:32:03,980 That's right. 490 00:32:03,980 --> 00:32:07,980 Now guys, with all due respect, this is a cockpit. 491 00:32:07,980 --> 00:32:09,980 A glass cockpit, they call it. 492 00:32:09,980 --> 00:32:13,980 Top of the line avionics, computers, LCD displays. 493 00:32:13,980 --> 00:32:16,980 Not a gauge in sight. 494 00:32:16,980 --> 00:32:21,980 All this, you know, because there's a million bazillion miles of wires flowing through this aircraft, 495 00:32:21,980 --> 00:32:22,980 are all shielded. 496 00:32:22,980 --> 00:32:25,980 And whatever RF signal that may come in conflict with the aircraft, 497 00:32:25,980 --> 00:32:28,980 technically shouldn't affect the aircraft. 498 00:32:28,980 --> 00:32:30,980 We'll see about that, Tom. 499 00:32:31,980 --> 00:32:36,980 The size of this antenna was making the airplane guys a little nervous out there. 500 00:32:37,980 --> 00:32:40,980 Regulations might not allow the test to happen in the air, 501 00:32:40,980 --> 00:32:44,980 but ground-to-air communications begin even before takeoff. 502 00:32:44,980 --> 00:32:47,980 So the Hawker will sit on the tarmac, 503 00:32:47,980 --> 00:32:50,980 receiving a full range of radio signals, 504 00:32:50,980 --> 00:32:53,980 while Grant attempts some cell phone sabotage. 505 00:32:54,980 --> 00:32:58,980 For our test, I have several older cell phones that we're trying out. 506 00:32:58,980 --> 00:33:02,980 Some analog, I've got a PCS phone, different technologies. 507 00:33:02,980 --> 00:33:06,980 All of these are operating except for the PCS, 508 00:33:06,980 --> 00:33:09,980 with an 800 to 900 megahertz band. 509 00:33:09,980 --> 00:33:14,980 Remember, that's the bandwidth that caused problems back in the Faraday cage. 510 00:33:15,980 --> 00:33:17,980 Ready? 511 00:33:17,980 --> 00:33:19,980 Stand by. 512 00:33:22,980 --> 00:33:26,980 And three, two, one. 513 00:33:29,980 --> 00:33:31,980 And nothing's happening. 514 00:33:31,980 --> 00:33:36,980 This is a PCS phone operating at 1.85 gigahertz. 515 00:33:36,980 --> 00:33:39,980 In three, two, one. 516 00:33:40,980 --> 00:33:42,980 Nothing. 517 00:33:43,980 --> 00:33:47,980 None of the phones has any effect on ground-to-air communication. 518 00:33:49,980 --> 00:33:53,980 He tries amplifying the signals using the cell phone signal generator. 519 00:33:53,980 --> 00:33:54,980 Seeing any result? 520 00:33:54,980 --> 00:33:56,980 Nope. Nope. 521 00:33:57,980 --> 00:34:00,980 Not a flicker, not a flash, not a blink. 522 00:34:00,980 --> 00:34:04,980 This airplane is built very well. 523 00:34:04,980 --> 00:34:06,980 It's rock solid, this airplane. 524 00:34:06,980 --> 00:34:09,980 Rock solid and seemingly impenetrable. 525 00:34:09,980 --> 00:34:11,980 The team keeps testing, 526 00:34:11,980 --> 00:34:13,980 but if this pattern continues, 527 00:34:13,980 --> 00:34:16,980 the seat phone conspiracy theory is looking shaky. 528 00:34:16,980 --> 00:34:18,980 Alright, ready? 529 00:34:21,980 --> 00:34:24,980 Well, the conspiracy theorists have it right on one point. 530 00:34:24,980 --> 00:34:28,980 It is more expensive to use the in-flight phone than it is your cell phone. 531 00:34:28,980 --> 00:34:30,980 Why is it so expensive? 532 00:34:30,980 --> 00:34:33,980 That's because it's a dedicated system, and it works in two ways. 533 00:34:33,980 --> 00:34:38,980 If you're over land, the hard-wired phone goes to a transmitter in the belly of the plane. 534 00:34:38,980 --> 00:34:42,980 That then talks to one of 135 land-based radio towers. 535 00:34:42,980 --> 00:34:44,980 Even more complicated if you're over water, 536 00:34:44,980 --> 00:34:47,980 it has to bounce off a satellite and back down to a tower. 537 00:34:47,980 --> 00:34:53,980 So, it's really expensive because it's a specialized, dedicated system. 538 00:34:54,980 --> 00:34:57,980 And what's more, seat phones are safe. 539 00:34:57,980 --> 00:35:02,980 In no way do they interfere with a plane's avionics. 540 00:35:02,980 --> 00:35:07,980 Can the same be said of the cell phone? 541 00:35:07,980 --> 00:35:11,980 Well, back at Ground Zero, all of the cell phones have been tested, 542 00:35:11,980 --> 00:35:15,980 and none have affected any instruments. 543 00:35:15,980 --> 00:35:18,980 So why won't airlines let you use them? 544 00:35:18,980 --> 00:35:23,980 Well, it seems to be a case of better to be safe than sorry. 545 00:35:23,980 --> 00:35:27,980 If there were so many systems on the plane, they would have to all be tested 546 00:35:27,980 --> 00:35:31,980 to make sure, and you're talking about millions of dollars worth of testing. 547 00:35:31,980 --> 00:35:33,980 So they just don't want to take any chances? 548 00:35:33,980 --> 00:35:34,980 They don't want to take any chances. 549 00:35:34,980 --> 00:35:37,980 And a new cell phone comes out every month. 550 00:35:37,980 --> 00:35:39,980 New cell phone, different frequency. 551 00:35:39,980 --> 00:35:44,980 But before they wrap this up, Torey's got one more burning question. 552 00:35:44,980 --> 00:35:50,980 So, Tom, when you're not working, do you ever sneak this out just for your own personal fund? 553 00:35:50,980 --> 00:35:55,980 It's between you and me? No. 554 00:35:55,980 --> 00:35:59,980 All jokes aside, this myth is no laughing matter. 555 00:35:59,980 --> 00:36:06,980 But what's the verdict? Can cell phones spiral out of control? 556 00:36:06,980 --> 00:36:09,980 All right, the conspiracy of cell phones on airplanes. 557 00:36:09,980 --> 00:36:14,980 It was totally frustrating because we couldn't really get on an airplane with a cell phone, 558 00:36:14,980 --> 00:36:19,980 and we couldn't make a call, and we couldn't even see how many bars you had while you're in the air. 559 00:36:19,980 --> 00:36:21,980 Those pesky laws. 560 00:36:21,980 --> 00:36:25,980 We don't have any evidence other than our small-scale cockpit. 561 00:36:25,980 --> 00:36:29,980 It wasn't hardened against RF, and the wires weren't shielded. 562 00:36:29,980 --> 00:36:34,980 When we went out to the commercial jetliner, we weren't able to get any effects on his instruments. 563 00:36:34,980 --> 00:36:39,980 Right. I mean, we ran a bunch of tests, many different cell phones, no interference. 564 00:36:39,980 --> 00:36:43,980 I think it's probably safer on the FAA's part just to say there's a ban outright 565 00:36:43,980 --> 00:36:47,980 because there's a one in a million chance that something, some new cell phone, 566 00:36:47,980 --> 00:36:50,980 could interfere with those instruments, and that's what they want to avoid. 567 00:36:50,980 --> 00:36:54,980 Well, I take the chance. So this one's busted. I say it's busted. 568 00:37:00,980 --> 00:37:04,980 After the break, will the plastic fantastic take to the air? 569 00:37:04,980 --> 00:37:09,980 I really just want to get on there now and be able to relax on my flying rat. 570 00:37:14,980 --> 00:37:20,980 Adam and Jamie have built what they hope will be the world's first flying raft. 571 00:37:20,980 --> 00:37:25,980 It's the biggest thing they've ever made, and tensions are running high. 572 00:37:25,980 --> 00:37:28,980 There's not a lot of optimism in the room at the moment. 573 00:37:28,980 --> 00:37:31,980 I think that there's a lot of difficulties that are presenting themselves, 574 00:37:31,980 --> 00:37:37,980 and there's small little imperfections that could cause everything to completely implode on us. 575 00:37:37,980 --> 00:37:40,980 So we're crossing our fingers. 576 00:37:40,980 --> 00:37:44,980 But I'm not seeing the smiles you usually see on the Myth Buster faces. 577 00:37:44,980 --> 00:37:50,980 Once in every generation, a myth comes along that does not thrill us. 578 00:37:53,980 --> 00:37:58,980 To help distribute Adam's weight across the giant raft, he'll lie on a mini version. 579 00:37:58,980 --> 00:38:01,980 Three small tubes, double bag for strength. 580 00:38:04,980 --> 00:38:08,980 And with the arrival of the eight-year-old, Adam and Jamie, 581 00:38:08,980 --> 00:38:13,980 and with the arrival of the helium, all 36 cylinders of it, 582 00:38:13,980 --> 00:38:16,980 it's time to get this myth up and running. 583 00:38:16,980 --> 00:38:20,980 All right, well, it's in. It's either going to float or it's going to flame out. You ready? 584 00:38:20,980 --> 00:38:21,980 I'm ready. 585 00:38:21,980 --> 00:38:23,980 All right, let's go. 586 00:38:23,980 --> 00:38:26,980 And so the inflation begins. 587 00:38:26,980 --> 00:38:29,980 With 50 of these giant plastic tubes, 588 00:38:29,980 --> 00:38:33,980 the team is going to need almost 8,000 cubic feet of helium 589 00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:36,980 to try to get this myth off the ground. 590 00:38:39,980 --> 00:38:40,980 All right. 591 00:38:40,980 --> 00:38:42,980 One perfect pontoon. 592 00:38:42,980 --> 00:38:47,980 We've built two pontoons. It goes about three minutes of fill. 593 00:38:47,980 --> 00:38:49,980 We've got 48 yet to go. 594 00:38:49,980 --> 00:38:53,980 Thanks for the warning. We might go to the time lapse here. 595 00:38:56,980 --> 00:38:59,980 I'm not seeing or hearing any leaks. 596 00:39:01,980 --> 00:39:06,980 As the massive pontoons fill, each one generates five pounds of lift. 597 00:39:06,980 --> 00:39:07,980 Good. 598 00:39:09,980 --> 00:39:12,980 Before long, the raft is straining to rise. 599 00:39:12,980 --> 00:39:15,980 This thing is effectively neutrally buoyant right now. 600 00:39:15,980 --> 00:39:17,980 And we have plenty to lift me. 601 00:39:18,980 --> 00:39:21,980 The mythbusters can boast a whole raft of achievements, 602 00:39:21,980 --> 00:39:25,980 but this raft would have to rate highly. 603 00:39:25,980 --> 00:39:29,980 Not sure Huck Finn would want to take it down the old Mississippi, but still. 604 00:39:29,980 --> 00:39:31,980 This is strange. 605 00:39:31,980 --> 00:39:33,980 I've never seen anything like this before. 606 00:39:33,980 --> 00:39:37,980 It has to be the single largest thing I've ever built. 607 00:39:37,980 --> 00:39:39,980 Bar none, let alone in two days. 608 00:39:39,980 --> 00:39:41,980 But will it work? 609 00:39:41,980 --> 00:39:44,980 Time for Adam to slip into something a little less comfortable. 610 00:39:44,980 --> 00:39:52,980 This is my new toy, my new SWAT team tactical black climbing harness. 611 00:39:52,980 --> 00:39:54,980 My sister gave it to me. 612 00:39:54,980 --> 00:39:57,980 My whole family's like this. 613 00:39:57,980 --> 00:40:00,980 Yeah, I get the harness, but the wetsuit? 614 00:40:00,980 --> 00:40:04,980 I'm wearing the wetsuit because if we're successful at this, 615 00:40:04,980 --> 00:40:07,980 we'd like to walk it out to the lagoon and float it on the water. 616 00:40:07,980 --> 00:40:09,980 See if it would be a viable raft. 617 00:40:10,980 --> 00:40:13,980 I don't understand that because if it flies in the air, 618 00:40:13,980 --> 00:40:16,980 something tells me that it would float on the water. 619 00:40:16,980 --> 00:40:18,980 Oh, go on. What's the real reason? 620 00:40:18,980 --> 00:40:21,980 I'm wearing the wetsuit because it makes me look good. 621 00:40:21,980 --> 00:40:23,980 Damn good. 622 00:40:26,980 --> 00:40:28,980 Final thought? 623 00:40:28,980 --> 00:40:32,980 The fact that we've got it up and it's buoyant, very exciting. 624 00:40:32,980 --> 00:40:38,980 I really just want to get on there now and be able to relax my flying raft. 625 00:40:40,980 --> 00:40:42,980 It's up, up and away. 626 00:40:47,980 --> 00:40:49,980 Good, good. 627 00:40:49,980 --> 00:40:51,980 Okay, lower. 628 00:40:52,980 --> 00:40:56,980 With Adam in position on the mattress, Carrie starts dumping the ballast. 629 00:40:59,980 --> 00:41:01,980 But straight away, there's a problem. 630 00:41:01,980 --> 00:41:03,980 You better cut the other side a little bit. 631 00:41:03,980 --> 00:41:07,980 Without the ballast, one side of the raft suddenly takes to the skies. 632 00:41:08,980 --> 00:41:11,980 And Adam begins to slip off his mattress. 633 00:41:11,980 --> 00:41:14,980 Okay, stop. Don't cut anymore. 634 00:41:14,980 --> 00:41:15,980 Okay. 635 00:41:15,980 --> 00:41:19,980 The team stop cutting the ballast, but the damage is done 636 00:41:19,980 --> 00:41:24,980 as Adam slides off his helium bed like a greasy bar of soap. 637 00:41:24,980 --> 00:41:26,980 Ah! 638 00:41:26,980 --> 00:41:28,980 Just a second. 639 00:41:28,980 --> 00:41:33,980 Without any support structure, the flimsy pontoons can't cope. 640 00:41:33,980 --> 00:41:39,980 On a build this big, there was always the chance that something would slip through the cracks. 641 00:41:39,980 --> 00:41:41,980 Never thought it would be Adam though. 642 00:41:41,980 --> 00:41:42,980 Hey, Adam. 643 00:41:42,980 --> 00:41:43,980 Yeah. 644 00:41:43,980 --> 00:41:45,980 This isn't working. 645 00:41:45,980 --> 00:41:48,980 No, it seems to have failed utterly. 646 00:41:48,980 --> 00:41:51,980 You've like slipped right through to the bottom side. 647 00:41:51,980 --> 00:41:54,980 I feel like something that got cut out of the matrix here. 648 00:41:54,980 --> 00:41:55,980 Are you all right? 649 00:41:55,980 --> 00:42:03,980 I'm fine. I'm upside down and I'm in a net and I'm below the biggest thing ever built out of helium and balloons, but I'm fine. 650 00:42:03,980 --> 00:42:06,980 Adam may be fine, but the test ain't. 651 00:42:06,980 --> 00:42:12,980 With the raft coming apart at the seams, there's just no way the team can reset to try again. 652 00:42:12,980 --> 00:42:17,980 Their only chance at lift off has just slipped through the net. 653 00:42:18,980 --> 00:42:24,980 Oh, it's very satisfying. I shouldn't do that. 654 00:42:25,980 --> 00:42:27,980 All that work. 655 00:42:27,980 --> 00:42:31,980 Look at this. It's a cathedral of failure. 656 00:42:32,980 --> 00:42:33,980 Not really, Adam. 657 00:42:33,980 --> 00:42:41,980 We've learned that any raft able to fly will be unfeasibly large and far too flimsy to take passengers. 658 00:42:41,980 --> 00:42:43,980 Oh my God. We might need to open a door. 659 00:42:45,980 --> 00:42:46,980 It's getting kind of weird. 660 00:42:46,980 --> 00:42:48,980 It's getting helium in here. 661 00:42:48,980 --> 00:42:49,980 It's getting really stuffy. 662 00:42:49,980 --> 00:42:51,980 I'm going to open up the door, okay? 663 00:42:51,980 --> 00:42:52,980 Okay. 664 00:42:52,980 --> 00:42:59,980 I don't think anybody would fault us for not giving it the best possible effort for success. 665 00:42:59,980 --> 00:43:03,980 I'm sure someone's yelling at their television right now, but I'm calling this one busted. 666 00:43:03,980 --> 00:43:05,980 I know we're not supposed to bust them on site. 667 00:43:05,980 --> 00:43:07,980 We're supposed to wait for the blueprint table, but I don't want to go back there. 668 00:43:07,980 --> 00:43:11,980 I just want to take this wetsuit off and call it done and busted. 669 00:43:11,980 --> 00:43:12,980 Yeah. 670 00:43:12,980 --> 00:43:13,980 Busted. 671 00:43:13,980 --> 00:43:14,980 Yeah. Busted. 672 00:43:14,980 --> 00:43:15,980 Busted. Busted. 673 00:43:15,980 --> 00:43:17,980 Busted. Thank you. I was waiting for you to say it. 674 00:43:17,980 --> 00:43:18,980 Okay. Let's clean it up. 675 00:43:22,980 --> 00:43:24,980 Busted. Busted. Busted.